Presented by Sarah Weise at Content Marketing Conference 2018 #CMC18 How do you connect and communicate with future customers? If you don’t know this about Millennials (Gen Y) and Pivotals (Gen Z), you’ll be out of business before you can say “Insta.” A huge shift is happening today. Even between Gen Y and Gen Z, there’s a massive difference in how customers want to find information, transact, and connect and communicate with businesses like yours. Customer research firm Brilliant Experience has conducted millennial studies for some of the largest and most advanced companies in Silicon Valley. Ever wonder what they know? Today, we reveal the most impactful trends to attract and engage these customers, including: · How do they select where to go for different types of content? · How do they learn about news? · How many ‘selves’ do they have online? · Where do they click? · What draws them in? · What keeps them coming back? If your business wants to not just survive but thrive with the next generation of customers, this is a must-attend talk!

1. 1
DON’T KNOW THIS
ABOUT GEN Y & Z?
YOU’LL BE OUT OF
BUSINESS BEFORE YOU
CAN SAY ‘IG’.
INSTABRAIN
Sarah Weise
Brilliant Experience
@weisesarah @brlexp
#CMC18

2. 2@weisesarah #CMC18

3. 3@weisesarah #CMC18

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5. What do these brands have in common?

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Companies who don’t understand how future
customers think, find information, transact,
and communicate wind up as relics.
@weisesarah #CMC18

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Today we are designing experiences
for tomorrow’s customers.
@weisesarah #CMC18

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LONG
STORY
SHORT.
Brilliant Experience has conducted Gen Y and Gen Z
studies for some of the biggest, baddest brands out
there. Over the past year we’ve conducted surveys,
mobile diary studies, video diaries, one-on-one
interviews, ethnographic research, intercept interviews,
and focus groups. Today we share with you the top
trends we’ve discovered along the way—and what you
need to know to survive in the brave new world ahead.
YOUTH RESEARCH IS OUR JAM
@weisesarah #CMC18

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Your past research
no longer applies.
It’s because your future customers have never
known a world without search, social media, and
smart phones.
Gen Z customers think and act so differently from customers
even a few years older.
98%
OF TEENS OWN A
SMART PHONE
51%
WORLD POPULATION
IS UNDER 25
85%
FIND NEW PRODUCTS
VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
@weisesarah #CMC18

10. 10
GEN Y and Z do not
consume the same
content.
Generational changes make for vastly different
audiences. While both Millennials and Gen Z are
digital natives, they do not consume the same
types of content. Here are a few generational
traits that drive the way these different
generations experience and interact in the world.
THE ABOUT
SHIFT IN PARENTING =
INDEPENDENT TEENS
HUNGRY FOR WORK,
EXPECT DIVERSITY
MORE MULTITASKING,
SHRINKING ATTENTION
• Shift from Helicopter Parenting to Tech Parenting
• Helicopter parents keep Gen Y tethered to them
• Tech parents teach Gen Z how to find information,
and warn them about tech risks
• Unlike Gen Y raised in a boom, Gen Z was born after
9/11 and has been raised in times of war and recession
• Gen Z is hungry for work. 61% want to start their own
business; highly respect paid YouTubers
• Gen Z won’t remember a time before a black president,
legalized gay marriage, female presidential candidates.
• Gen Y has a 12-second attention span
• Juggles 3 screens at once
• Gen Z has an 8-second attention span
• Juggles 5 screens at once
@weisesarah #CMC18

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8 key trends that matter.
SNAP JUDGEMENTS
02
CONTENT CURATORS
01
INSPIRATION FROM FEEDS
03
TIME OBSESSION
06
PURCHASE POWER
08
CRAVE AUTHENTICITY
04
NATURAL AGGREGATORS
05
@weisesarah #CMC18
MONEY MINDSET
07

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Specific & discerning
curators.
01
IF GEN Y = OVERSHARING, GEN Z = PAINSTAKING CURATION
Teens see their accounts as their personal brand, and curate different
content on different accounts. 55% manage at least 2 Insta accounts!
@weisesarah #CMC18
GEN Z IS CLEAR ON WHERE TO POST (AND LOOK FOR) CONTENT
Gen Z is able to clearly articulate the distinction between when to use
each social app, where to post (and look for) different types of content.
DISCERNING ABOUT DEVICES & APP ORGANIZATION TOO!
Oh the green bubble! 84% of teens have iPhones, and Android users are
social pariahs in the this generation’s version of mean girls. App layout is
equally important. Popular now: minimal apps on the home screen and
dock; color coding; emojis to label folders; YouTube organization tutorials.

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Snap judgement,
then deep dive.
SHRINKING ATTENTION SPANS MAKE FOR DECISIVE, SNAP JUDGEMENTS.
Attention spans have shrunk from 12 to 8 seconds between Gen Y and Z. Yet the
moment a Gen Z-er decides they are interested in a story or a person, they dive
deeply into it, searching for every shred of information they can find.
INTERESTS QUICKLY TURN TO OBSESSIONS
Gen Z looks in every social media outlet and app they can to find information on a
specific interest or person. They are constantly looking for exclusive information.
The harder it is to find, the greater the gratification.
MINI-STALKERS WANT TO FIND EVERYTHING
Both Gen Y and Gen Z want to know everything about the people they follow,
whether niche musician or YouTube celebrity. They crave the behind-the-scenes
story, and want to know authentic and personal insights into their lives. They expect
photos, stories, trips, fashion—at all hours of the day. Instagram provides the slice-
of-life they crave. But they use at least 2-3 other apps to find different types of info.
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@weisesarah #CMC18

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How curated is your IG or FB?
Can people tell what you’re about in 8 seconds?
YES! TWEET THIS.
@weisesarah #CMC18

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Once your brand is noticed, you must have
enough content in enough different places
to make the scavenger hunt real.
@weisesarah #CMC18

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Inspiration comes in
personalized feeds.
SCROLLING IS INSPIRING
In nearly any instance, Gen Y and Z expect
deeply personalized recommendations.
They spend hours scrolling through feeds,
looking for something that catches the eye.
While it may appear mindless, it is actually
the primary way youth seek out inspiration.
03
@weisesarah #CMC18
BLURRING BETWEEN SOCIAL &
KNOWLEDGE-FINDING
Gen Y, Z relies on feeds to track anything.
When asked to find news, most Gen Z go
to a social app. Gen Y uses Google News
to scan headlines. More attention is on
local news (seems relevant/personalized).
DEEPLY PERSONAL, ON THEIR TERMS
Instagram’s personalization is not creepy.
“Instagram knows you because you let it
know you. It doesn’t follow you around like
a stalker. IYou teach it what you like by
following people.” -16 year old
WHAT SHOULD I WANT?
Millennial expert and Georgetown
Marketing Professor and former Dean Luc
Wathieu cites a shift in the question in
customers’ minds from “What do I want?”
to “What should I want?”

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STEP ASIDE, HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES. GEN Z COULDN’T CARE LESS
ABOUT YOUR DRAMA.
Craving authenticity—
the real life story.
Unlike drama-seeking reality TV addicts, Gen Z wants to peer into the real,
authentic lives of the people they follow. They don’t want the drama, or not
knowing what’s real and what’s not. As a result, Gen Z follows more YouTubers and
Instagram celebs who obsessively post because this seems authentic, real. They
respect self-made and local celebrities because what they have is attainable.
HOW BIG NAMES CAN MAKE THEMSELVES SEEM WITHIN REACH
“[I follow] celebrities… if you wear cute clothes, if you do cool stuff, if you always
are posting about things that I can relate to. I’m not gonna follow a celebrity who’s
always in name brand stuff that I can’t afford or can’t get access to… I don’t really
watch their pages much versus a celebrity [iike] Cardi B. She wears Fashion
Nova. I know when I see something that she has on, I can go on
Fashionnova.com and literally buy the same thing she has on.”
04
@weisesarah #CMC18

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Post even when it’s not great.
Show personality. Be real.
Make sure your brand is within reach.
@weisesarah #CMC18

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Go to where your customers are.
They’re spending hours a day
scrolling through feeds on Insta,
Snapchat, YouTube. Go there.
@weisesarah #CMC18

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Natural aggregators
of information.
“My screenshot
gallery is ridiculous”
05
“I love, love, love
collecting bookmarks”
“I text myself links”
“I’m a tab hoarder”
“I paste text from
different sites into
the Notes app”
Teens are processing more info than before, at an unprecedented
rate. Collecting and organizing info has become second nature.
“I use Pinterest collections
for inspiration”

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Obsessed with time,
schedules, time management.
06
STAY UP LATE
Stay up later and get less sleep
than past generations or the same
age groups in other countries.
NEED A LIFE RAFT TO KEEP
TRACK OF EVERYTHING
Due dates and events are all
organized on different platforms.
CONSTANT ALARMS
The only thing that seems to work
is alarms. Many of them.
DELIGHT IN HACKS
Hacks are more than shortcuts.
They equate to cleverness,
resourcefulness.
Overscheduled? Overworked? Overwhelmed? Whatever the
root cause, Gen Y and Gen Z think about time. A lot. They stay
up late. They scheme. They spend lots of time looking for
time-saving hacks.
@weisesarah #CMC18

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Organize your content into collections
(or allow co-creation of collections)
and feature hacks.
@weisesarah #CMC18

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Money mindset:
it just happens.
GEN Z MAKES UP 40% OF US CONSUMERS AND IS SET
TO BE THE MOST FINANCIALLY POWERFUL
GENERATION IN COMING YEARS.
07
@weisesarah #CMC18
As teens, Gen Z accounts for $830B per year in the US, 7%
of total consumer spending. Average weekly allowance is
$16.90, equating to $44B in direct purchasing power
annually.
MONEY IS ELECTRONIC, INSTANT, AND EASY
I order a ride and it shows up. I order Uber Eats and it shows up.
Why would it be any different for money?
WHAT IS CASH TO YOU?
Cash is for “throw-away” stuff.
DON’T TRUST APPLE PAY
Fear accidental charges, losing phone.

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How your future consumer
makes a purchase decision.
08
EXHAUSTIVE RESEARCH
Big purchases are exhaustively
researched, compared, and
personal reviews read.
COUPON CRAZE
Coupons are irresistible. Multiple
coupon apps on phones. Daily
emails and app alerts. “I need to
buy it now. I’ll be upset if I miss it.”
SHARING PURCHASES
Eagerly share potential purchases
with friends via social media, but
not actual purchases. Post-
purchase it’s bragging.
Burned by special taxes and fess
in the past (travel, phone plans),
Gen Y wants the “out-the-door”
price. This generation loves all-
inclusive travel destinations.
SHIPPING COST!?
Shipping costs are totally
unacceptable and deal
breakers.
MIDWEEK IMPULSES
More susceptible to impulse
buying midweek when alone,
because they don’t see their
significant other very much due to
work, commute, gym, etc.)
EXPERIENCES > THINGS NOT TOO EASY
They like to sign the receipt.
Easy online purchases or Apple
Pay seem too easy. Gen Y
worries about making accidental
purchases.
@weisesarah #CMC18
Experiences are more valuable
than things. They are necessary
to recharge from everyday
pressures. People work lots of
small odd jobs to pay for them.
WANT THE TRUE COST

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Goat says to add friction at checkout (just a little).
Making it less easy makes Gen Y, Z feel better
about making an informed purchase decision.
@weisesarah #CMC18

26. Your future success depends on
your future customers.
Sarah Weise
Principal, Brilliant Experience
sw@brilliantexperience.com
@weisesarah